Take out your pen and paper again and think about this question.

Why are you telling this story? Why is it important?

Now write that somewhere you will see it! And keep it in mind while you make the piece.

Research! Research! Research!

You need to know what you’re talking about and make sure your information is accurate. The more you know about your topic matter the more comfortable you will be when talking on camera or to whoever you interview. I usually have pages of notes and links to resources in a document as I plan my video. 

Think about this like a research paper. Use accurate information and cite your sources.

If you don’t know what you’re talking about then why are you making the video? Why should people listen to what you have to say?

Visualize it!

Storyboarding is your friend.

Here is a storyboard I created for my video:

Draw out every shot you want to get with an explanation of the other elements you envision (music, interview, narration, natural sound etc).

There are two basic different types of shots

The interview and narration where someone is talking directly to the camera, or a person beyond the camera.

The b-roll, visuals that illustrate the narration or add to the story and act as the colorful patches that stitch together the video.

Above, I highlighted all of the b-roll scenes. 

Look at your storyboard, put a star next to each shot that would be considered b-roll.